Courses

PHIL211 Greek Philosophy I: Socrates and Plato Sections

The Pre-Socratics; Socrates; Sophists; Plato. Recommended as preparation for PHIL 310. Credit will only be granted for one of PHIL 211, CLST 211 or AMNE 235.

PHIL212 Greek Philosophy II: Aristotle and After Sections

Aristotle; selections from Hellenistic and Late Antique Philosophy. Recommended as preparation for PHIL 310. Credit will only be granted for one of PHIL 212, CLST 212 or AMNE 236.

PHIL220 Symbolic Logic Sections

Sentential and predicate logic. Translation from natural language; truth tables and interpretations; systems of natural deduction up to relational predicate logic with identity; alternative proof methods. Some sections may use computer-based materials and tests. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 220 and PHIL 222.

PHIL222 Enriched Symbolic Logic Sections

Nave set theory, relations and functions, recursion and induction; Propositional and predicate logic; Symbolizations, semantics, and formal proof theory; Metatheory for propositional logic. Recommended for students interested in pursuing upper-level courses in logic or formal philosophy. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 220 and PHIL 222.

PHIL230 Introduction to Ethics Sections

Theories of obligation and value; moral reasoning; normative ethics, descriptive ethics and meta-ethics. Readings in classic and contemporary texts.

PHIL235 Contemporary Moral Issues Sections

Moral issues such as life and death decisions, paternalism, markets, animal welfare, technology, and global justice.

PHIL240 Introduction to Epistemology Sections

Topics in epistemology such as skepticism, truth, justification, a priori and a posteriori knowledge. Readings from classic and contemporary texts.

PHIL250 Minds and Machines Sections

Philosophical and theoretical issues that pertain to how mental phenomena fit into the material world. Examine questions such as whether a sophisticated enough computer should be deemed a conscious intelligent being. Focus on philosophical literature on consciousness, intelligence, animal minds, and the mind-body relation.

PHIL260 Science and Society in the Contemporary World Sections

An introduction to the historical development, conceptual foundations, and cultural significance of contemporary science. Themes will vary from year to year.

PHIL310 The Philosophy of Plato Sections

A study of Plato's dialogues and his influence on subsequent philosophy. PHIL/CLST 211 or AMNE 235 and PHIL/CLST 212 or AMNE 236 are recommended.

PHIL311 The Philosophy of Aristotle Sections

A study of Aristotle's writings and his influence on subsequent philosophy.

PHIL313 Medieval Philosophy Sections

Survey of Western European thought from Augustine to the 14th century. Possible topics and authors include: Augustine; Abelard; the influence of Islam; the rediscovery of Aristotle; Aquinas; Scotus; Ockham.

PHIL314 Philosophy in the 17th Century Sections

Survey of 17th-century philosophy from Bacon to Leibniz, including the writings of Hobbes, Descartes, and Spinoza. The influence of science and religion on philosophy.

PHIL315 Philosophy in the 18th Century Sections

Survey of 18th-century philosophy from Locke to Kant, including the writings of Berkeley, Rousseau, and Hume. The influence of science and religion on philosophy.

PHIL316 Philosophy After 1800 Sections

Survey of 19th and 20th century philosophy. May include Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Mill, Meinong, Brentano, the British Idealists, Russell, and Moore. Social and political currents in 19th century philosophical thought.

PHIL320 Logic: Metatheory and Computability Sections

Continuation of PHIL 220. A system of deduction for predicate logic is selected for further study. Completeness of this system and other metatheoretic results are proved. Other topics include computability, recursive function theory, incompleteness and decidability.

PHIL321 Induction, Decision and Game Theory Sections

Formal methods relevant to probabilistic and inductive reasoning. Decision theory, game theory, axiomatic probability theory and its interpretations, belief dynamics, simulation and modelling.

PHIL322 Modal Logic Sections

Logic of the modal operators "It is necessary that" and "It is possible that." Possible-world semantics and a method of derivation for this logic.

PHIL323 Non-Classical Logics Sections

One or more of conditional logic, deontic logic, epistemic logic, many-valued logic, systems of belief dynamics.

PHIL326 Philosophy of Language I Sections

Philosophical discussion of language, meaning, and communication.

PHIL330 Social and Political Philosophy Sections

Theories of political and legal obligation and authority, legal reasoning, society and the state. Readings in classic and contemporary texts.

PHIL331 Business and Professional Ethics Sections

Moral problems in contemporary business and professional practice, general moral theory, the law, and policy formation. Corporate social and environmental responsibility, employee rights, preferential hiring and affirmative action programs, conflicts of interest, advertising, "whistle blowing" and self-regulation.

PHIL332 Environmental Ethics Sections

Moral problems arising in the context of human relationships to nature and to non-human living things, considered in terms of both general moral theory and policy formation. Topics include moral standing, animal rights, obligations to future generations, pollution, hazardous materials, the depletion of natural resources and the treatment of non-human living things.

PHIL333 Bio-Medical Ethics Sections

Moral problems arising in the health sciences, especially in medicine but also in biology, psychology, and social work. Topics include abortion, death and euthanasia, genetic engineering, behaviour modification, compulsory treatment, experimentation with human beings and animals, and the relationship between professionals and their patients, subjects or clients. No philosophical background is required.

PHIL334 Sex, Gender and Philosophy Sections

Relationship between sex, gender, and philosophy. Topics may include ethics, epistemology, science, social relations, law, and personhood.

PHIL335 Power and Oppression Sections

Philosophical approaches to historical problems of inequality and social harm, with readings drawn from historical and contemporary sources. Topics to be studied may include slavery, colonialism, labour, and the position of women in society.

PHIL337 Ethics for the Sciences Sections

Philosophical exploration of ethical issues in the non-medical sciences, including topics such as intellectual integrity, responsible conduct of research, protection of human subjects, ethics of animal experimentation, and the social responsibilities of scientists. Credit will be granted for only one of ISCI 433 or PHIL 337.

PHIL338 Philosophy of Law Sections

Concepts of law, constitution and sovereignty; law and morality; natural law theories and legal positivism; obligation, responsibility, and punishment.

PHIL339 Philosophy of Art Sections

Topics include art and perception, art and reality, imagination, expression, censorship, and the role of art in human life.

PHIL340 Introduction to Metaphysics Sections

Topics in metaphysics such as the nature of physical reality, personal identity, the mind/body problem, free will, causation and action theory. Readings from classic and contemporary texts.

PHIL347 Philosophy of Religion Sections

A critical and analytical examination of arguments for and arguments against the existence of God, and other related topics.

PHIL348 Introduction to Continental Philosophy Sections

Major themes and figures in the Continental philosophy tradition; possible topics include 19th century precursors, 20th century philosophers, and comparisons between analytic and continental philosophy.

PHIL351 Philosophical Perspectives on Cognitive Systems Research Sections

Philosophical exploration of questions and theories arising from research into the mind, as conducted in psychology, linguistics, and computer science.

PHIL360 Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science Sections

An examination of historical, conceptual and methodological conditions of scientific knowledge through detailed consideration of important episodes in the history of science.

PHIL362 History and Philosophy of Economics from Aristotle to Adam Smith Sections

The development of economic thought from Aristotle to Adam Smith, focusing primarily on the conceptual foundations of economics, particularly the problems of value, distribution, and economic growth.

PHIL363 History and Philosophy of Economics from Ricardo to Keynes Sections

The development of economic thought from David Ricardo up to the present, including such figures as Mill, Jevons, and Keynes, focusing primarily on the conceptual foundations of economics, particularly the problems of value, distribution and growth.

PHIL364 Darwin, Evolution, and Modern History Sections

Darwin and the science of evolution in nineteenth and early twentieth century.

PHIL369 Philosophy of Science Sections

Issues common to all sciences. Philosophical questions including the character of scientific laws, theories and revolutions, the nature of scientific confirmation, causality, explanation and prediction, and the use of logic and probability. Difficulties in the interpretation of atomic physics and questions about relationships between biology and psychology. No philosophical background is assumed.

PHIL371 Foundations of Chinese Thought Sections

Chinese thought from the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) in its historical and cultural contexts. Includes among others: Confucius; Mo Zi; the Legalists/Authoritarians; Zhuang Zi; the Lao Zi book.

PHIL375 Philosophy and Literature Sections

Philosophical issues in works of literature or arising from theories of literary interpretation. Topics include issues relating to relativism, the nature of morality, free will, personal identity, the nature of the emotions.

PHIL378 Philosophical Wisdom of Early India Sections

Epistemological and ontological thought from the Vedic Period to the period of the rise of philosophical schools or systems. Philosophy in the Mahabharata, Gita; early Buddhist and Jain views on knowledge and reality; views on language.

PHIL385 Existentialism Sections

Meaning, identity and alienation as explored in the works for example of Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Sartre, and Camus.

PHIL388 Classical South Asian Philosophy Sections

Debates on issues of epistemology, language and ontology among the philosophical traditions of classical South Asia. PHIL 378/ASIA 378 is recommended.

PHIL390A Honours Tutorial - HONOURS 3RD YEAR Sections

For students in third-year Honours.

PHIL414 Topics in the History of Modern Philosophy Sections

Intensive study of a major philosopher or school such as Descartes, Hume, Empiricism, Rationalism, or the British utilitarians.

PHIL415 The Philosophy of Immanuel Kant Sections

Study of Kant's critical philosophy.

PHIL416 Topics in 19th-Century Philosophy Sections

Study of a major 19th-century philosopher such as Hegel, Mill or Nietzsche, or school, such as German Idealism.

PHIL418A Topics in Twentieth-Century Philosophy - 20TH CENT PHIL Sections

Intensive study of a major philosopher such as Wittgenstein, Russell, or Heidegger, or school, such as pragmatism or logical empiricism.

PHIL426 Topics in Philosophy of Language Sections

Advanced topics in the philosophy of language.

PHIL431 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy Sections

Central concepts and problems in political life and thought including obligation, citizenship, representation, justice; equality; civil rights and liberty; disobedience.

PHIL432 Topics in Ethical Theory Sections

Classic or contemporary works in ethical theory.

PHIL441 Philosophy of Perception Sections

The contribution of the senses to knowledge of the external world; the nature of perception and its contribution to empirical knowledge.

PHIL448 Topics in Continental Philosophy Sections

A study of European philosophers from amongst Husserl, Heidegger, Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, Lacan, Levinas, and others.

PHIL451 Philosophy of Mind Sections

The nature of the mental and physical; the relation between minds and bodies; the character of psychological explanation.

PHIL455 Topics in the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Sections

Philosophical topics in the cognitive sciences, such as empiricism vs. nativism, consciousness, mental representation, cognitive architecture, language and thought, and situated cognition.

PHIL462 Space and Time Sections

Such topics as: Are space and time continuous? Is motion always relative to another body? Does time flow? Is time irreversible?

PHIL464 Philosophy of Biology Sections

Methodological, historical, philosophical and social science questions about biology.

PHIL470 Comparative Conceptions of the Self Sections

Ways in which the 'self' has been portrayed in eastern and western religious traditions. Thinkers to be considered include Aristotle, Mencius, Freud, Xunzi (Hsn-tzu), Nietzche, and Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu).

PHIL485 Directed Reading Sections

Same as PHIL 486-9.

PHIL486 Directed Reading Sections

PHIL487 Directed Reading Sections

PHIL488 Directed Reading Sections

PHIL489 Directed Reading Sections

PHIL490A Honours Tutorial - HONOURS 4TH YEAR Sections

For students in fourth-year Honours.

PHIL491A Seminar for Majors in Philosophy - SEM PHIL MAJORS Sections

Selected problems in philosophy, with attention to methods of research. Check with the department for specific topics. Primarily for fourth-year Philosophy Major students, but also open to Philosophy Honours.

PHIL499 Directed Reading Sections